Mom of hs junior: create a realistic list of colleges

D had to cancel campus visits to U of Rochester, Ithaca, Binghamton. So no idea what to look for re: campus size, location, etc. Other info: 3.5 GPA, 30 ACT, very active in chorus. From Boston area, looking at Brandeis as well. Suggestions for good fit? Jewish présence also important.

We need more info:

Major?

Is that an unweighted GPA?

How many honors/AP courses? Any AP scores?

What is your D’s senior year math class?

Budget?

All good questions. I realized I was being vague- thanks for asking. Major: health sciences, possible musc minor, 4 honors junior year, 3 APs on tap for next year and pre-calc, 3.5 unweighted GPA at a rigorous high school. Right now budget is open as we don’t know what to expect re: merit or aid.

Sarah Lawrence might represent a general fit. With respect to your daughter’s primary academic interests, you could research whether this program would be sufficient:

https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/undergraduate/cross-disciplinary-paths/health-science-and-society/

You also might want to look for something similar at Oberlin.

Skidmore perhaps?

Rochester seems like a bit of a reach.

In terms of reach-target-safety categorization:

U Rochester would be a reach
Brandeis a match
Ithaca match
Bing match

Try for 2-3 reaches, 4-6 matches, and at least one affordable safety (that’s all the safeties one needs, if they would be happy to go there). Is your home state New York?

Other suggestions (without knowing your D’s preferences on a bunch of parameters). I think these have some form of Health Sciences major, but your D will have to do research on that, and Jewish presence/clubs, etc.

Reaches:
Tulane
WashU
U Miami
BU
Northeastern

Matches:
Quinnipiac
Temple
Hofstra
U Delaware

Safety (only if affordable)
Suny StonyBrook
Suny Brockport
Towson

That’s a start, let us know if any of these schools appeal, or not.

For an early financial indicator, run the FAFSA4caster here: https://fafsa.ed.gov/spa/fafsa4c/?locale=en_US#/landing

Then run each school’s net price calculator (even though they are currently set up for class of 2020) to get an estimate of COA.

Should’ve mentioned that we’re trying to keep to at least 3000 undergrads. Anything less would be too small in case she changes her mind about major.

Thank you for the suggestions. Home state is Massachusetts. Umass will be a safety. It’s really big for her - my husband and I went there and it’s easy to be a number. BU and northeastern are too large and urban. Rochester is the perfect size. Tulane is on her list too. As you can see we have not narrowed down location. :slight_smile:

You need to solve this first. How much can your family realistically afford to spend each year with savings and current income? With that number you then need to determine school by school if there is a reasonable chance of getting the price at or below that amount. The last thing that you want to do is become emotionally attached to a school that has no chance of being affordable. One good benchmark to look at is can you afford the generic EFC for you?

You should do financial planning to figure out how much you can and are willing to pay, taking account other financial goals like your retirement and younger kids’ college costs.

You can use the net price calculator on each college’s web site to get an estimate of need-based financial aid. Some (not all) colleges with stats-based merit scholarships may also estimate that based on GPA/rank/SAT/ACT that are asked on their net price calculators.

Some colleges ask for your FAFSA EFC in their net price calculators (although they do not necessarily meet “need” based on FAFSA EFC). If you want to estimate your FAFSA EFC, use https://fafsa.ed.gov/spa/fafsa4c/?locale=en_US . Remember that many colleges effectively have a higher EFC than the FAFSA EFC, so you should not assume that the FAFSA EFC is all you will have to pay at any particular college.

Most colleges also expect the student to take federal direct loans of up to $5.5k and/or earn a few thousand dollars in part time work during the school year and/or summer work.

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